Me: Elton John - Discussion Questions

Discussion Questions
We'll add publisher questions if and when they're available; in the meantime, use our LitLovers talking points to help start a discussion for ME: ELTON JOHN'S OFFICIAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY … then take off on your own:

1. What role did Elton John's upbringing play in the adult—and the star—he became? How would you describe his parents? Talk about his family, especially his parents and their foul temper. How did it all affect him?

2. Despite his family and the suburb he grew up in—also that it was the rebellious 1960s—John liked his life, continuing to live with his extended family into young adulthood. What do you think made him stay?

3. (Follow-up to Question 2) It has been said by a reviewer that despite his wild, profligate behavior as a rock star, deep down Elston John had the heart of a bourgeois. Do you see that? Or not.

4. Talk about John's relationship, personal and professional, with Bernie Taupin—and the influence the two had on one another.

5.As he climbed his way to fame, what was John's relationship with other rock stars—Brian Wilson, Keith Richards, or David Bowie? Consider, too, his particular friendships with Freddie Mercury and Rod Stewart.

6. Talk about John's love life—his path toward coming out as a gay man, as well as his tendency toward jealousy and possessiveness.

7. How does John believe he kept from contracting AIDs?

8. There's a great deal of humor in this book. What in particular do you find funny in John's account of his life?

9. Did you find the book satisfying in terms of getting to know Elton John? Did you wish for more, for instance, his inspiration for some of his songs?

10. Overall, what do you think of Elton John—not the music but the man? What does John reveal about himself in this autobiography? In what way does he surprise you? What episodes in the book do you find most remarkable, most sensational, most intimate, or most off-putting?

(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online and off, with attribution. Thanks.)

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